Dispensing closure and container



June 20, 1967 Filed Aug. 26, 1965 FIG.2

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M. G- RANDAZZO DISPENSING CLOSURE AND CONTAINER 2 Sheets-$heet 1 INVENTOR MARION G. RANDAZZO ATTORNEY June 1957 M. G. RANDAZZO 3,326,402

DISPENSING CLOSURE AND CONTAINER Filed Aug. 26, 1965 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I/I I9 I I 2| 11 7 I9 20 Hi l? 9 I I \Q 8 6 7 I I8 I I] FIG.7

' INVENTOR MARION G. RANDAZZO ATTOR NEY United States Patent 3,326,402 DISPENSING CLOSURE AND CONTAINER Marion George Randazzo, 10225 3rd Ave., Inglewood, Calif. 90303 Filed Aug. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 482,771 11 Claims. (Cl. 215-40) This invention pertains to a closure for bottles, tubes or other containers and to the container for such closure. It more specifically relates to a captive closure that serves a dispensing as well as a scaling function in combination with a container.

Although captive closures are old and well known to the art, these closures are still only in limited use because of their many deficiencies. Such closures either fail to provide an adequate seal, do not possess metered dispensing capability from a fully closed position to a fully open position, are constructed of a number of different elements, or fail to provide the same rate of flow as is permitted by the container opening. Further, many of these closures require complex injection molds for construction and are not suited for production at economically high rates.

It is, therefore, a principal object of my invention to provide a container closure capable of effectively sealing the mouth of the container while possessing the ability to deliver the contents of the containers at varying rates up to the full rate of discharge of the mouth of the container.

It is an additional object to provide a dispensing container closure that may be captively retained on the container in such manner that the means for retaining the closure captive to the container do not have to be forced over the threads of the container.

It is another object of my invention to provide a captive dispensing closure for a container which permits the container to be rested on the closure in a fully closed position, the closure loosened and the contents drained, without risk of the contents splashing or spilling.

My invention also provides a combination of a closure and a plastic container having special sealing surfaces molded in the neck of the container. The novel form of these sealing surfaces as well as the number and location of these sealing surfaces make it possible to obtain effective sealing with my closure even when the sealing surfaces are not as accurately formed and reamed as they should be during the manufacture of such containers by blow molding.

A further object of my invention is to provide a captive dispensing closure that can be used to dispense hazardous substances such as acids and bleaches without risk of spilling.

Another object of my invention resides in provision of a dispensing closure having a centrally disposed cylindrical neck in combination with shoulder means which support said closure in inverted position in a receptacle opening without tipping.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a closure having a plurality of sealing means to insure complete sealing of the container.

My invention also furnishes a unitary, captive, dispensing closure which can he made easily, rapidly and economically by injection molding, and which possesses a functionally attractive appearance.

The foregoing, and other objects, which will become apparent from a consideration of the detailed description which follows, are obtained by a closure generally having an internally threaded cylindrical portion or skirt, a shoul der extending transversely inwardly from the threaded portion and an axially aligned tubular-section extending from the shoulder. Internally of the closure and depending from the lower end of the aligned tubular section is an Patented June 20, 1967 inverted conic form which serves to cooperate with the opening in a container to provide a seal therewith. A single annular ring, or a plurality of segments of an annular ring project axially outwardly of the tubular section and form fluid exit passageways as well as shoulders for supporting the closure in an inverted position. Openings are provided between the interior of the tubular section and the interior of the threaded cylindrical portion.

The details of my invention, as well as further objects and advantages, will become apparent from a consideration of the following description as related to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of my closure;

FIG. 2 is side elevation of my closure as secured to a container and showing its insertion into .a receptacle, the side walls and neck of which are shown in section;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are partly sectional, side elevations of my closure in different relationships to a container, also shown partly in section;

FIG. 5 is a sectional, side elevation of my closure in sealing relationship with the neck of a container which is partly in section;

FIG. 6 is a sectional, plan view taken along lines 6-6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a partly sectional, plan view of a different embodiment of a closure member according to my invention; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view of a modified seal assembly of my closure showing an additional sealing means.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 5 of the drawings, the closure 1 of my invention is shown as secured to or in assembled relationship with a container 2 which may comprise a tube, bottle or other container and which may be constructed of any suitable material.

As shown in FIG. 3, the container has a neck 3 which is provided with helical threads 4 which are separated from the open mouth 5 by a smooth, axially extending upper cylindrical portion or tube 6. This tube has a diameter which is less than that of the root diameter of the helical threads and terminates, at its mouth, with an internally extending flange 7 and an external peripheral flange 8 which may be chamfered or beveled as at 9.

In FIG. 3 is shown my closure 1 in assembled position on the neck of the container. The closure 1 has a tubular segment or skirt 10 which is provided with helical threads 11 for mating engagement with the corresponding threads of the neck of the container. At the internal end of the skirt 10 is provided an annular, internal, peripheral, bead, rim or flange 12 which is of lesser internal diameter than the external diameter of the peripheral flange 8 of the container and preferably of the same diameter as the external diameter of the container upper cylindrical portion or tube 6 in order to provide for sliding, sealing engagement between the tube 6 and rim 12.

Extending in an axial direction of the closure 1 from flange 12 is an intermediate tubular neck 13 which terminates in the shoulder 14, as is best seen in FIGS. l and 6. The internal diameter of the neck 13 is preferably substantially the same as the diameter of the external lower rim 8a of the chamfered edge 9 of peripheral flange 8 in order to provide for sliding, sealing engagement between t-hese elements.

The pour spout or nozzle 15 of the closure projects axially from the shoulder 14 and is of lesser diameter than neck 13. Depending from the interior walls of the nozzle 15 is the seal assembly which comprises an annular ring 16 projecting inwardly from the inner end wall of the nozzle 15 and a cylindrical sealing neck 17 and an inverted conical boss or seal member 18 which depends from said ring.

As shown in FIG. 6, the closure illustrated is provided with four segments of an annular ring or flow chambers 19 which are integral extensions of shoulder 14 and the side walls of thenozzle 15. Openings 20 in these side walls as Well as openings 21 in the shoulder 14 are provided in order to permit flow of liquid from the interior of the closure adjacent to the shoulder 14 to the discharge nozzle 15. It is preferred that these openings be of sufficient size to substantially equalthe size of the neck opening of the container. The nozzle is of similar size and this permits full flow from the container.

In the preferred form of my seal assembly, as shown in FIGS. 3-5, the seal surface 7a of the internal flange 7 and the sealing neck 17 are both cylindrical in form. Thus, when either or both the container and closure are constructed of resilient material, the imposition of any laterally inward force upon sealing neck. 17 does not result in any vertical moments of force which would tend to open the seal. Furthermore, a more positive sealing action is obtained by the cooperative relationship between the'seal formed between sealing neck 17 and seal surface 7a and the seal formed between rim 8a and closure neck 13. Since these seals are laterally oppositely disposed from one another, any lateral forces resulting from the flange 7 and flange 8 being somewhat larger than the space between tubular neck 13 and sealing neck 17 will cause tighter seals to occur than would be the case if one of these was not present, or ifthey were not laterally disposed with respect to each other. In FIG. 3, the closure of my invention is shown in position on the neck of the container ready to be assembled in captive relationship thereto. The annular peripheral flange 12 is resting upon the chamfered or beveled shoulder 8 of the container neck. In FIG. 4, the closure has been turned down on the neck sufliciently to have caused the flange 12 to have sprung over the shoulder 8. The. closure is now in a captive position with respect to the container and only greater .force than is normally exerted by the hand can cause its removal. Although the closure is captively seecured to the container in FIG. 4, the closure is in an open position. Liquid can be made to flow from inside the container through the space between the conical seal member 18 and the flange 7, past openings 21 and and out thespout 15.

By further rotating the closure clockwise, it is tightened down on the neck of the container into a closed position, as shown in FIG. 5. The inverted conical seal member 18 and cylindrical sealing neck 17 have been urged into tight contact with the flange 7 of the container. Where one or both the container and closure are constructed of resilient material such as one of the conventional plastics, the closure can be urged down sufliciently to give a completely air tight seal. My closure is particu larly advantageously used in combination with plastic bottles, such as those now commonly made from polyethylene. 1

A prevalent problem with blow molded bottles is the difliculty of trimming excess flash from the neck of the bottle in such manneras to provide good sealing surfaces for the closure. With the container of my invention, it is possible to obtain a better seal with a less critical, flashtrimming tolerance since the internal flange 7 and the external flange 8 are deformable by the sealing neck 17 or closure neck 13, or both, to provide complete sealing contact between the closure and the neck of the bottle. As will be evident from FIG. 2, my closure may be used with special advantage where it is desirable to empty a hazardous substance directly into a receptacle without any possibility of splashing or spillage. The closure spout 15 fits into the filling well 22 of a battery having a top wall 23: and an upstanding flange 24. The container 2 rests upon the flow chambers 0r annular ring segments 19 in a closed position. To empty the container, it is only necessary to turn the bottle counterclockwise until it is no longer possible to turn it. When flow has stopped, the

bottle can be turned in the reverse direction and closed before discarding; all without the hazard or nuisance of splashing or spilling.

In FIG. 7, is shown a modification of the closure of my invention. This closure i in all respects identical to that illustrated in FIGS. 16 except that it has not been provided with the cylindrical sealing neck 17 which, in the above described embodiment mates with the flange 7 of the container. In this form of closure, the inverted conical seal member 23 depends directly from the annular ring 16, and engages a correspondingly conical or. beveled surface 24 of the container. This container has not been provided with the preferred internal flange 7 in order to illustrate applicability of my invention to a more conventional form of container. It will be evident that in this embodiment of my invention the annular ring 16 could be omitted entirely.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3-5 and 7, my container may also be provided with an annular rim 25 which serves as an additional seal between the container and the closure. The external diameter of this rim is such that it is in sliding sealing contact with the lower internal surface of closure skirt 10. It is disposed a distance below the threads of the container suflicient to contact the internal surface of skirt 10 Without interfering with the mating threads of the closure.

In FIG. 8 is illustrated a further improvement of my closure which provides still another seal means. In this figure are illustrated only portions of the internal flange 7 of the container, the annularring 16, the cylindrical neck 17 and the inverted boss or seal member 18. Depending from the annular ring 16 is a boss 26 which is shown as being in the cross-sectional form of a semicircle. This boss 26 acts in the same manner as would an O-ring and provides a seal with the upper surface of flange 7.

While my invention has been fully described and illustrated, it will be understood that this disclosure is for purposes of exemplification and is not to be taken by way of limitation, the spirit and scope of my invention being limited only by the terms of the accompanying claims.

I claim: I

1. A closure for a container having a threaded neck with an opening therein and an annular flange extending laterally from the end of said neck comprising a threaded skirt, a substantially cylindrical nozzle extending therefrom and integral therewith, sealing means depending internally from the inner walls of said nozzle and formed integrally therewith, a plurality of flow chambers communicating from the interior of said skirt to the interior of said nozzle, said flow chambers being disposed on a side of said sealing means remote from the skirt and means integral with said skirt extending inwardly to a smaller diameter than the diameter of said threads and adapted to slidingly engage the outer periphery of the neck of said container disposed intermediately of said skirt and said nozzle for locking said closure in captive relationship to said container between a full open position of threaded engagement of the closure with said container and a full closed position of threaded engagement of said closure with said container.

2. The closure of claim 1 in which said sealing means comprises an inverted conical segment integrally secured to and depending from said nozzle.

3. The closure of claim 1 in which said means for locking said closurev in captive relationship to the neck of a container comprises an annular internally projecting flange.

4. The closure of claim 1 in which said sealing means comprises an annular ring extending inwardly from the side walls of said nozzle, a cylindrical tube segmentdepending from an inner portion of said ring to ,providean annular shoulder thereon and an inverted conical member depending from said tube segment.

5. The combination of a container and a closure therefor, said container comprising a body portion and a neck extending therefrom, said neck having an opening in the end thereof and thread means formed thereon and spaced from said opening, said neck having an internally extending annular flange integral therewith, and said closure comprising an internally threaded skirt in mating engagement with said thread means, a discharge nozzle extending axially from said skirt, an annular ring depending from said nozzle extending inwardly from the side walls of said nozzle and forming a seal between said closure and said annular flange, a cylindrical tube segment depending from an inner portion of said ring to provide an annular shoulder thereon, an inverted conical member depending from said tube segment, said annular shoulder abutting the upper surface of said internally extending annular flange of said container neck and said cylindrical tube segment abutting the inner surface of said internally extending annular flange of said container neck and flow means formed in said closure and disposed between said nozzle and said annular ring.

6. The combination of claim 5 in which said means projecting annularly outwardly from said neck is in sliding sealing engagement with said closure.

7. The combination of claim 6 including an annular boss depending from and integral with said annular shoulder and forming a seal with said internally extending annular flange of said container neck.

8. The combination of claim 7 including an annular rim extending outwardly from said neck of said container between said thread means and the body portion of said container and being in sliding sealing relationship with said skirt.

9. An integral one-piece container closure comprising an internally threaded tubular skirt, a shoulder extending annularly internally from one end of said skirt, a tubular discharge nozzle extending axially of said skirt from said shoulder, sealing means depending from the internal side walls of said nozzle, a plurality of hollow segments annularly extending outwardly from said side walls and axially from said shoulder and having openings that are substantially equal in total to the opening in said nozzle, and an internally projecting annular flange spaced from the threads of said skirt and internally thereof.

10. A plastic container comprising a body portion, a

threaded neck having an opening in the end thereof, a first annular shoulder extending laterally internally of the end of said neck at said opening a suflicient distance to constitute a resilient sealing surface for a closure, a second annular shoulder extending laterally externally of the end of said neck at said opening and in the same lateral plane as said first annular shoulder, and an annular closure sealing means extending externally laterally from said neck between the threads thereof and said body portion.

11. The combination of a container and a closure therefor, said container comprising a body portion and a neck extending therefrom, said neck having an opening in the end thereof and thread means formed thereon and spaced from said opening, said neck having an internally extending annular flange integral therewith, and said closure comprising an internally threaded skirt in mating engagement with said thread means, a discharge nozzle extending axially from said skirt, means depending from said nozzle forming a seal between said closure and said annular flange, flow means formed in said closure and disposed between said nozzle and said means depending from said nozzle, means projecting annularly outwardly from said neck and means projecting annularly inwardly from said closure in sliding sealing engagement with said neck for retaining said closure in captive relationship to said container.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 201,513 3/ 1878 Fisher 222520 2,051,513 8/1936 Bingharn 222-520 2,345,737 4/ 1944 Fabrice -1 215-74 2,659,510 11/1953 Jung 21543 2,673,123 3/1954 Benoit et al.

2,684,168 7/1954 McGinnis et al 215-41 X 2,998,170 8/ 1961 Manzione et a1 222520 3,129,528 4/1964 Gausewitz. 3,216,610 11/1965 Klygis 215-41 X 3,229,841 1/1966 Bailey 21543 FOREIGN PATENTS 545,548 7/ 1956 Italy.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

D, NORTON, Assistant Examiner, 

11. THE COMBINATION OF A CONTAINER AND A CLOSURE THEREFOR- SAID CONTAINER COMPRISING A BODY PORTION AND A NECK EXTENDING THEREFROM, SAID NECK HAVING AN OPENING IN THE END THEREOF AND THREAD MEANS FORMED THEREON AND SPACED FROM SAID OPENING, SAID NECK HAVING AN INTERNALLY EXTENDING ANNULAR FLANGE INTEGRAL THEREWITH, AND SAID CLOSURE COMPRISING AN INTERNALLY THREADED SKIRT IN MATING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID THREAT MEANS, A DISCHARGE NOZZLE EXTENDING AXIALLY FROM SAID SKIRT, MEANS DEPENDING FROM SAID NOZZLE FORMING A SEAL BETWEEN SAID CLOSURE AND SAID ANNULAR FLANGE, FLOW MEANS FORMED IN SAID CLOSURE AND DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID NOZZLE AND SAID MEANS DEPENDING FROM SAID NOZZLE, MEANS PROJECTING ANNULARLY OUTWARDLY FROM SAID NECK AND MEANS PROJECTING ANNULARLY INWARDLY FROM SAID CLOSURE IN SLIDING SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID NECK FOR RETAINING SAID CLOSURE IN CAPTIVE RELATIONSHIP TO SAID CONTAINER. 